Steadfast in Love

June 9, 2024 homily on Psalm 138 and 1 John 4:7-12 by Pastor Galen

“Your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever” (Psalm 138:8b)

Unconditional Love

Who in your life has shown unconditional love to you? One of the greatest attributes of humans is our capacity to love. We are not perfect people, and we cannot always love in the ways that we desire to love and be loved. But I hope that each and every one of us has experienced unconditional love from someone at some point in our lives. Perhaps a parent or significant other, a sibling, or a child. If you’ve ever experienced unconditional love from another human being, you know that it is a wonderful thing to know that we are loved. 

In Psalm 138, King David said “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the ‘gods’ I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness” (Psalm 138:1,2a). David knew that no matter what, God’s love is neverending. God will never stop loving us. God’s love is unconditional.

Currently, we are in the midst of a sermon series on “the attributes of God.” We often hear that God is all-knowing, never-changing, and all-powerful. Last week we looked at the “All-knowing” aspect of God. But rather than thinking of God as a sort of divine Santa Claus who keeps a record of who has been “naughty or nice,” I invited us to consider the reality that God knows everything about us, and loves and accepts us anyway.

Today we focus on the truth that God’s love is “immutable,” that it is unchanging over time, and that it never fails.

“Reading the Room”

The fact that God’s love is unchanging does not mean that God never changes how God interacts with us. God does, in fact, treat us differently at different times in our lives, and God does not treat everyone in the same way. And this is because God’s essence (God’s core nature) never changes.

Let’s think about it this way: Let’s say that you are a kind and compassionate and empathetic person who is always attuned to what other people are thinking and feeling. You are able to interact with other people in ways that are appropriate given the circumstances. This means that there are times when it’s appropriate to laugh and have fun, and so you do. 

Perhaps you are reconnecting with a friend after many years and you are reminiscing about old times. You laugh together as you think about something funny that happened a long time ago. As the two of you are laughing and joking and having fun, another friend walks into the room crying. You instantly realize that they must have just received terrible news, and since you are a kind and compassionate person, you immediately stop laughing and joking with your one friend, and you turn to the other with kindness and compassion, and you ask, “What happened?”

One minute you were laughing and joking with your friend, but the next minute you stop, because it wouldn’t be appropriate to laugh and joke in the presence of your other friend who is hurting. You interact with your two friends differently because you are a kind, compassionate, and caring person. You are not showing favoritism to one friend by laughing with them and being somber with the other. You are simply being a good friend to both of them, and caring for each of them in the way they need to be cared for in that moment.

And this is how it is with God as well. The Bible says that “God is love” (see 1 John 4:8,16). This means that no matter what, everything that God does is because of love. This means that at some points in our lives, God may punish us, or allow us to experience the negative impacts of our poor decisions. Other times God may intervene, to protect us from the harmful decisions that we or others have made. But in each and every situation we can rest in the assurance of God’s love.

A God Who “Repents”

In the Bible, there are two instances in which it says that God regretted something God had done in the past (Genesis 6:6-7 and 1 Samuel 15:11), and at least eleven times it says God “repented” or changed God’s mind about something God was about to do in the future (Exodus 32:12-14; 2 Samuel 24:16; 1 Chronicles 21:15; Psalm 106:45; Jeremiah 4:28; 18:8; 26:3, 13, 19; 42:10; Joel 2:13-14; Amos 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9-10; 4:2).

In each of these situations, God’s essence did not change. In fact, in every one of these situations, it was God’s divine nature of love that prompted God to change what God was going to do or to regret what God had already done. God is always loving, and that is why God sometimes changes direction. 

God lays this out in Jeremiah 18, saying, to the prophet Jeremiah,

If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it (Jeremiah 18:7-10).

Here we see that the warnings of God’s judgment throughout the Bible were not a “done deal.” Rather, the prophetic warnings were intended to cause the people to turn away from their sinful and wicked ways. Even when God fully intended to bring judgment upon them, if and when the people repented and turned back to God, then God would no longer bring the harsh punishment that God had planned. But on the other hand, God would also reconsider the good things God was planning to do for a nation if the nation turned away from God. In all of this God’s essence never changed. God simply changed the way God interacted with them because God’s core being of love remained the same.

Suffering ≠ Punishment, Prosperity ≠ Reward

This does not mean, however, that when we experience something bad, that we should automatically assume that God is punishing us. The biblical story of Job makes it clear that even righteous people experience suffering and hardship. Often suffering is the result of injustice, or because of evil forces at work in the world, and not because of our own wrongdoing. We see this most clearly in the life of Jesus. 

On the other hand, we should also not assume that we are being rewarded when we experience wealth or prosperity. There are plenty of wealthy people in the world who have gotten their wealth through unjust means, and one day they will have to answer to God for their ill-gotten gain. 

But what we can know is that, whether we are experiencing scarcity or abundance, sickness or health, no matter what, God’s love is neverending, and God’s love never fails, because God is love.

God’s Love Encompasses the Whole World

In the last few verses of Psalm 138, David extols God’s steadfast love and faithfulness by saying, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever…” (Psalm 138:7-8a).”

David rightly personalizes God’s love for him, describing God’s love for him individually. Sometimes we talk about God’s love in such abstract ways that we forget that God’s love for us is personal. C.S. Lewis, the author of the famous Chronicles of Narnia, said that Jesus “died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.” In other words, even if you had been the only person in the world, Jesus would have still given his life for you on the cross. It is so important for us to remember that God loves us individually and specifically.

But what King David doesn’t seem to recognize or remember here is that not only does God love each and every one of us individually, but God also loves our enemies. Even while God was delivering David from the wrath of David’s enemies, God was also at work in the lives of David’s enemies.  We see this in Amost chapter 9, where God says, to the people of Israel, saying, “Are you not like the Cushites to me, O people of Israel? says the Lord. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?” (Amos 9:7). So apparently, even as God was working to deliver David from his enemies, God was also at work in the lives of David’s enemies, to deliver them and to draw them closer to God as well. 

What are the Implications of God’s Never-Ending Love?

1. We can rest secure in God’s love for us, knowing that no matter what, God will never stop loving. Even if we never experience unconditional love from another human being, we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will never stop loving us.

2. We recognize that our circumstances are not evidence of God’s approval or disapproval. Suffering is not necessarily punishment from God, but God can use any circumstance in our lives for good. In times of abundance, we need to remember that everything we have belongs to God, and we are merely stewards of what we have been given.

3. We recognize that God’s love encompasses the whole world. God’s love knows no boundaries, so neither should ours. 

So may we rest secure in God’s love for us, knowing that God’s love is neverending and never fails. Everything God does is out of love for us and for the whole world. May we love others with the love that God has bestowed upon us, and may we proclaim God’s love to the world. 

Amen!

Questions for Individual Reflection

1. Who in your life has demonstrated unconditional love towards you? How did this impact you?
2. Have you ever felt that God’s love was distant or conditional? How could the knowledge of God’s never-ending love influence your daily life and interactions with others?
3. Think of a time when you had to change your behavior to show compassion. How did this reflect your own capacity for love?
4. Reflect on a time when you felt God changed the way God was interacting with you. What was the context and outcome?
5. How does understanding that your circumstances are not indicators of God’s approval or punishment change your perspective on success and failure?
6. What steps can you take to ensure that your love, like God’s, knows no boundaries? How can this transform your community and relationships?